You don’t argue with Martha!
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Issue 2 is another astoundingly good issue. I couldn’t stop smiling through the whole thing. This reminds me a lot of Terri Hatcher & Dean Cain in the Lois & Clark series.
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Issue 3
Now the BvS music is in my head, ha! Again, I loved this issue. Magpie is a fun villain, she has quite a sense of style.
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@JL Glad you’re enjoying this! Byrne’s Superman did indeed influence Lois & Clark.
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One thing I enjoyed in this go-around of TMOS is Martha’s scrapbook.
In the Ruby Spears Superman cartoon (which was another show influenced by Byrne’s work) each episode ended with a flashback to Clark’s childhood via photos from a scrapbook.
Gil Kane’s design for Superman on that series also bears resemblance to how Byrne drew him.
Issue 4
Finally! Now I have a canon reference for how Supes shaves (I’ve seen many internet fights about this topic).
Issue 4
No Lex, you’re not the most powerful man in Metropolis anymore! #SadLex
I’ve got two issues left, and I really have enjoyed all of these so far. My Superman-loving heart is filled with joy!
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I binged the series today and it holds up very well. I loved the interaction between Batman and Superman. This depiction of Batman seems like a possible influence on Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. I did laugh a couple of times especially at Magpie. I haven’t read much Superman so I will try to keep up on this reading club. I have read all the Rebirth up through 46 and have quite enjoyed that as well
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@ michaellamm666
Magpie was funny. Sad, but funny.
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Issue 5
I don’t like all Bizzaro stories, but this one I really enjoyed.
Issue 6
See photo. Ma Kent is (of course) right on both accounts.
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Issue 6
Poor Clark. He thought of his powers as mutant in origin. Glad he found out the truth.
I adored the art in this. Excellent pick @Vroom. I thoroughly enjoyed this mini-series.
Opps, I forgot the discussion questions:
- It was excellent. I’ve read many Superman stories, but this is probably now my favorite (this was my first time reading it).
For question 2 & 3, I feel like these are “advanced Comic book reader” questions, and I’m more of a “lower intermediate” level comic book reader. That said, I liked this Bizzaro more than I liked the New 52 Bizzaro. But I liked the New 52 Lex, more than I liked this Lex. (I read all of the New 52 Supes stories, the Death and return of Superman Saga, so that’s what I can compare it to).
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On the mutant comment, I get the feeling that was probably there as a dig on fans who thought that the prominent X-Men artist would just make Superman into a mutant when revamping the character post-Crisis.
Anyway, the discussion questions:
"Have you read The Man of Steel before? If so, where do you rank it in the hierarchy of Superman origin stories?
If this is your first time reading this title, what’d you think of it? Did it dot all of the i’s and cross the t’s that needed to be when telling the origin of Earth’s greatest hero?"
This is my first time reading it, and honestly, after going through it, I find it to be very overrated. Some of the additions he made to his origin I feel are just completely out of spirit of what makes Superman who he is. Like the lengths he took to make it so that baby Kal-El was born on Earth, it kinda give me a vibe that he’s trying to tell the audience “Don’t worry, he’s not really one of those filthy immigrants.” And then there’s the whole football player/prom king thing which just doesn’t jibe at all with how I see the character.
And some of it just has…weird writing. Like, it seems like he doesn’t really care a bit about anything besides football and girls until Pa tells him he’s an alien (even though he already knew, somehow?) and then suddenly he’s all “I have to travel the world and make a difference!” And then he just…sits around in Metropolis for a while? For no reason? Until a space shuttle hits and he saves it and meets Lois for the first time and…
Okay. Look. I get that we kind of have to accept the fact that glasses and slouching a bit can keep Superman’s identity intact. But you mean to tell me that Lois Lane meets Clark for the first time, seeing his super-powers, AND IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES, and SHE STILL DOESN’T FIGURE IT OUT? No. No. That’s freaking dumb. I don’t accept. I hate it. John Byrne is an excellent artist, but honestly, his writing just annoys the hell out of me most of the time.
In the interest of not being completely negative, I will say that I like his take on Ma and Pa Kent and while I think other writers kind of used them as a crutch too much, I liked the idea of them still being around after becoming Superman. And outside of that…dumb, dumb scene with Lois, she’s definitely highlighted very well.
“What are your thoughts on John Byrne’s updated takes on classic Superman villains Lex Luthor and Bizarro? The Man of Steel mini-series is where the idea of Lex Luthor being a corrupt slimeball of a businessman originated as well as the first Post-Crisis appearance of Bizarro.”
I didn’t care much for his Luthor either. I think Neil Gaiman said it best that the magic is lost when you completely lose his scientific mind and just make him a simple Donald Trump caricature.
As for Bizarro…I just didn’t get what Byrne was going for with that issue at all. I get that Bizarro as he was in the Silver Age was kind of silly and he needed to be updated, but there was just NOTHING to this thing other than a big monster for Superman to punch, and…a cure for blindness? And I guess Bizarro knew that and that’s why he killed himself? Again, Byrne just freaking baffles me sometimes.
“This series features the first Superman and Batman team-up of the Post Crisis era. What are your thoughts on this pairing in the new DC Universe?”
Funnily enough, that whole issue was actually the issue I had the least amount of issues with. That was a really solid team-up and a good story. Part of me wonders if maybe Byrne would have had a better handle on Batman instead of Superman – and then I see Batman monologue like an edgy know-it-all teenager and think “Nah, I’m quite happy with my Frank Miller Batman please and thank you.”
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I…get the feeling I’m gonna get a lot of hate for this, sorry!
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@Jay_Kay You’re welcome to your opinions. No need to worry or apologize.
The key to an interesting discussion is varying opinions, and your’s add nicely to the tapestry that exists so far.
If you’ve anything else to add, please feel free to do so.
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Thanks, I kind of worried I got a little over the top there. 
I’d also like to add to the Magpie love. She’s definitely a nice minor rogue addition, and she’s since had some good other media exploits, like in Beware the Batman and in the Mad Love novel-novel by Paul Dini. Now I’m kind of wanting to see her clash with Catwoman – a battle of the thieves!
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I enjoyed The Man of Steel.
I saw a few similarites from the Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill Superman and Man of Steel movies with the interview in Lois’ apartment and the robots on Krypton and also Smallville with the whole football career and Clark being the best on the team and his fixation with Lana Lang.
Bizarro was a cool character and I would love to see him on a live action tv series or in a future Superman movie and Lex was great.
I’d rate this in the top 3 greatest Superman comic books I’ve read.
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@Arrow2911 I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this series so much.
It’s easy to draw comparisons between this series and the subsequent Superman adaptations that came after it.
Man of Steel in particular was heavily influenced by Byrne’s work not only on this mini, but his ongoing Superman tales as well.
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